Game 10 // Clarion Golden Eagles (4-5, 2-4 PSAC West) vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (3-6, 2-4 PSAC)
Saturday, November 3 // Noon // Erie, Pa. // Tullio Field (2,300)

Radio: WCCR 92.7 FM / WKQW 96.3 FM

Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

Game Notes

The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles close out divisional competition this weekend when they go on the road to face Mercyhurst at Tullio Stadium.  Kickoff between the Golden Eagles and the Lakers is set for noon.

Mike Kalinowski and Joe Lodanosky will have the radio call for the game on 92.9 WCCR-FM and  96.3 WKQW-FM an hour before kickoff.  Live audio streaming will be available via the C93 website and linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.

Scouting The Lakers
Mercyhurst enters this weekend's game with a 3-6 overall record, including a 2-4 mark in PSAC West play.  Included in that record is a 24-6 win over Edinboro and a 34-33 loss to Seton Hill, with the Lake flip-flopping the results that the Golden Eagles had against those two opponents.

Running back Garrett Owens leads a run-heavy offense, ranking among the league's leaders in rushing.  Last week he set a Mercyhurst program record with 419 all-purpose yards with 268 yards rushing, 115 returning kicks and 36 receiving.  Mercyhurst ranks in the upper half of the league in scoring and total defense, and averages a league-best 26.4 yards per kick return.

Series History
This will be just the 11th meeting between Clarion and Mercyhurst, with the Lakers holding a slim 6-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles.  Clarion won two straight meetings from 2015-16 before Mercyhurst took the 2017 game by a 21-18 score.  

In last year's game, the Golden Eagles nearly erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion with 7:30 remaining in regulation to cut the Lakers' lead to 21-18.  Clarion got the ball with great field position and plenty of time remaining in an attempt to take the lead or tie, but an interception by the Lakers' Emmanuel McDowell sealed the game for the Lakers.  The Golden Eagle defense limited Mercyhurst to just 22 rushing yards on 24 attempts, and 316 total yards.

About the Coach
Chris Weibel is in his fourth season as the program's head coach after spending many of the previous years as an assistant.  Weibel has an overall record of 16-26 at Clarion, including a 10-17 record in PSAC West play.  A 2010 inductee into the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame, Weibel graduated with every major Clarion passing record to his credit.

Last Week
The Golden Eagles engaged in a rain-soaked, low-scoring game with Edinboro last week, falling by a final score of 14-7 at Memorial Stadium.  
 
Neither offense was able to generate much in the way of yards or points due to persistent rain, with the teams going a combined 1-of-5 in the red zone.  Scoring plays were few and far between, with the teams trading touchdowns in the second quarter but not lighting the scoreboard again until Edinboro scored midway through the fourth quarter to take the lead.
 
Mylique McGriff rushed 28 times for 125 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that tied the game at 7-7.  Passing was difficult in the heavy rain, with quarterback Jeff Clemens finishing 13-of-23 for 111 yards and an interception.  His top target was Dana Jackson, who caught five passes for 57 yards. 
 
The defense held Edinboro quarterback Jarrod Kellar to just 94 yards passing, though the Fighting Scots found much success running the ball with Walter Fletcher.  Layne Skundrich recorded 10 tackles to go over 300 tackles for his career, making him just the ninth player in Clarion history surpass that mark.  The defense forced three turnovers to half Edinboro drives, including an interception and forced fumble from Sam Fareri and another forced fumble by Paul Blendinger.

Clarion Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll
In a coaches' poll before the start of the year, Clarion was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2017.  

PSAC West (# of 1st place votes)
1) IUP (7)
2) California (1)
3) Slippery Rock
4) Edinboro
5) Gannon
6) Mercyhurst
7) Clarion
8) Seton Hill

PSAC East (# of 1st place votes)
1) West Chester (6)
2) Shippensburg
3) Kutztown (1)
4) Bloomsburg
5) East Stroudsburg
6) Millersville
7) Lock Haven

Controlling the Skies
Against Edinboro, Sam Fareri recorded his team-high fourth interception of the year, and in doing so kept Clarion near the top of the nation in picks.  Clarion has now picked off 16 passes this year, putting them second in NCAA Division II and the PSAC behind just Edinboro.  The Fighting Scots have picked off 17 passes this year.

> Last year, the Golden Eagles recorded just 13 total interceptions as a team, and only two players with picks last year - Fareri and Gus Schmitt - returned to the team this year.

No Fly Zone
In addition to picking off passes - he's got three interceptions so far this year - Dorian Johnson has been impressive in making plays on the ball in coverage.  He's currently sixth in the PSAC with 12 passes defended this year.  

Missing the Point(s)
In addition to the other laudables for the Golden Eagle defense, they've been adept at keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard.  The Golden Eagles still rank fourth in the conference in scoring defense at 21.7 points per game, with only two teams - Shippensburg and California - scoring more than 30 points against them all year long.

> Clarion ranks fourth in the conference in total defense at 339.9 yards allowed per game, and their 24 forced turnovers rank second in the league behind only Edinboro's 28 forced turnovers.

From Way Downtown
Junior kicker James Metzgar is second in the PSAC in field goal percentage, ranking sixth in the nation with an 81.8 percent mark on the year.  He is 9-of-11 on field goal attempts this year, and with two more makes will crack the top-five for a single season in program history.  

Ball Hawk
Now in his third season, Sam Fareri has been a major factor in creating turnovers throughout his college career.  Coming into this season he had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five interceptions, including four picks last season.  This year he has already four more picks, giving him nine in his career, and two more forced fumbles.

> Fareri was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for Sept. 10, coming on the heels of a performance where the junior safety forced three turnovers in a Golden Eagle victory.  He picked off two passes and forced another fumble in Clarion's 30-21 win at Lock Haven.
 
Action Jackson
Since the start of PSAC West play, Dana Jackson has been Clarion's top receiving target.  He has 21 catches for 411 yards and four touchdowns in divisional play, making for a 19.6 yards per reception average. His 34-yard touchdown reception against Gannon on Sept. 29 was the game-winning score, putting Clarion ahead 14-9, while his 45-yard score against Seton Hill on Oct. 6 last week increased the Golden Eagles' lead to 16-7.  Both games came down to a single score by the conclusion.

> Against California (Pa.) on Oct. 13, Jackson recorded the first 100-yard receiving game for a Clarion player this season, catching four passes for 126 yards and a score.  He scored on a 68-yard reception, the longest play from scrimmage for the Golden Eagles at that point of the year and longest reception since Kevin Genevro's 78-yard reception against West Chester on Nov. 12, 2016.

> Jackson topped that mark in the very next game, catching a 78-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Clemens against #23/25 IUP.  That tied Genevro's reception for longest of the past five years, and is the second-longest reception in the PSAC this year.

Longest Receptions, Last Five Years
1. 78 yards, Kevin Genevro vs. West Chester - 11/12/16
   78 yards, Dana Jackson at IUP - 10/13/18
3. 76 yards, Jaron Moorer at IUP - 11/1/14
4. 73 yards, Matt Lehman vs. California (Pa.) - 10/25/14
5. 71 yards, Seneca Williams vs. Lock Haven - 9/1/16
6. 68 yards, Dana Jackson vs. California (Pa.) - 10/6/18

Tricentennial Man
With a 10-tackle performance against Edinboro on Oct. 27, senior linebacker Layne Skundrich broke the 300-tackle mark for his career at Clarion.  He became just the ninth player in program history to top 300 career tackles and tied for eighth on the all-time list with Nick Sipes, who finished his career with 302 tackles.  Next on the list would be Jerry Haslett, who ranks seventh all-time with 326 career tackles.

> Skundrich's 17 tackles against California on Oct. 6 is tied for the second-most in a single game at Clarion since 1999, tying him with Sipes' 17 stops against the Vulcans on Sept. 25, 2010.   Scott McGrady had 18 tackles against West Chester on Oct. 12, 2002.

Welcome Back
After missing all of the previous two games and most of a third with an injury, Mylique McGriff immediately made his presence known against California (Pa.) on Oct. 6.  The sophomore running back rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Vulcans.  He has now had three 100-yard games in his last four outings, including a 125-yard effort against Edinboro last week.

> McGriff ripped off a 55-yard run against the Vulcans, the third-longest rush of his career and the longest rush for the Golden Eagles this season.  

Mylique McGriff - Longest Career Rushes
1. 79 yards, at Gannon - 11/4/17
2. 60 yards, at Slippery Rock - 10/28/17
3. 55 yards, vs. California (Pa.) - 10/6/18
4. 53 yards, vs. Shippensburg - 9/1/18
5. 51 yards, at Slippery Rock - 10/28/17

All Facets
Alec Heldreth had a whale of a game against Gannon on Sept. 22, contributing to the victory in preventing the Golden Knights from scoring, as well as lighting up the scoreboard himself.  The senior defensive tackle scored on a strip-sack of quarterback Jason Dambach in the second quarter, ripping the ball loose and recovering it in the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.  Later, he sacked Dambach on fourth down to halt Gannon's final offensive drive, preserving Clarion's win.

Lights, Camera, Action!
Clarion University will continue its fruitful partnership with the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Television Network in 2018, with two contests – 9/1 vs. Shippensburg and 11/10 vs. East Stroudsburg – airing live on affiliates across the state of Pennsylvania and made available to millions in the Keystone State.  The selected games will also be streamed on ESPN3 via the Watch ESPN app. 

Eagle Media to Stream Clarion Home Games
In a joint venture between Eagle Media Productions and the athletic department, all Clarion home football games in 2018 will be available via free video streaming.  Viewers will be able to access the streams a number of different ways...

Computer - Via the Clarion portal on Stretch Internet, linked on the schedule page
Streaming Device - Via Roku / Apple TV / Android TV / Amazon Fire TV devices with the Clarion Golden Eagle Vision app
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles will honor their seniors in their final career home game when they host East Stroudsburg at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 10.  Kickoff is slated for noon.